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A couple of days ago, U.S. Rep. Tom Marino was talking about his concerns about American involvement in Libya when he said this:
“Where does it stop?” he said. “Do we go into Africa next? I don’t want to sound callous or cold but this could go on indefinitely around the world.”
We published that quote in The Times-Tribune on Wednesday.
For the last day and a half, the Republican congressman has been taking a pretty good skewering from bloggers, especially from the left, because Libya actually is in Africa. Think Progress, Little Green Footballs, Talking Points Memo and New York Magazine all chimed in on the obvious error. Steve Corbett laughed loudly on his WILK Radio talk show Wednesday.
In all honesty, when Mr. Marino said it, it did not occur to me that Libya is in Africa.
We haven’t heard a further explanation from his press secretary, but my guess is Mr. Marino did what many people do: he lumped Libya and Egypt, which is also in Africa, in with the Middle East.
Mr. Marino’s problem is he isn’t most people. He’s a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and its Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights. Being careful about geography is important for a congressman who oversees U.S. policy in that part of the world.
The Pennsylvania Democratic Party has offered to help. Spokesman Mark Nicastre sent this e-mail to Mr. Marino’s press secretary.
“Hi – This is Mark Nicastre with the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. I saw this article earlier today, and I wanted to help Rep. Marino clear up some of his foreign affairs/geography confusion. Please feel free to pass along the attached map to your boss. Let me know if you have any questions or if your boss would like maps of any other continents,” he wrote.
Mr. Nicastre also attached this map:
Renita Fennick, a spokeswoman for Mr. Marino, does not dispute the quote, but said Mr. Marino was talking about sending troops into in Libya.

If you ever wondered what effect chains like McDonald’s, Applebee’s and others have on a region’s economy, there is now a Web site with a study that will tell you that.
Strangely — or maybe not — the numbers are by congressional district.
So, for example, in the 11th Congressional District, which is represented by Republican Rep. Lou Barletta, 1,521 franchises produce an estimated 16,600 jobs directly and contributely indirectly to another 32,800 jobs in businesses that supply or do business with them, according to the Price Waterhouse Coopers study done for the International Franchise Association.
The franchises have payrolls totalling $461 million while sparking $1.1 billion in payroll in other businesses.
They produce an output of $1.3 billion in goods sparking another $3.58 billion in impact.
In the 10th Congressional District, which is represented by Republican Tom Marino, 1,787 establishments produced 16,400 jobs and 29,900 indirectly. The franchises had payrolls totalling of $435 million while produce additional payroll in other businesses of $959 million. The output in goods by the franchises is about $1.27 billion, and another $3.2 million in other impact.
You can look up the numbers yourself at http://www.buildingopportunity.com/impact/report.aspx.
In that vein, it is with sadness that Hazleton says goodbye to one of its non-franchises, the Blue Comet Diner, which is the southern Luzerne County city’s version of Chick’s Diner.
“The Blue Comet Diner is a part of Hazleton’s history, so I’m sad to see another part of our local history close. I think it’s only a temporary situation. The Comet is in a great location, right on Route 309 just two blocks from the city’s main intersection, so I don’t think it will remain closed for long,” Mr. Barletta said. “I think and I hope that it’s going to be open again soon.”
— BORYS KRAWCZENIUK

When Republican U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta runs for re-election next year, the congressional district he runs to represent might be written to favor his re-election, making him a less appealing target of Democrats.
When U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, the House Budget Committee chairman, issues Republicans’ budget proposal soon, it could include changes to Social Security and Medicare. It’s unknown what those changes will be, though Mr. Ryan has said Social Security benefit cuts and Medicare vouchers are possible.
Mr. Barletta hasn’t even said he will support Mr. Ryan’s proposal.
But the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee isn’t waiting.
The campaign arm that supports Democratic House candidates is launching a campaign to “hold Rep. Lou Barletta accountable for supporting Ryan’s radical scheme to privatize Social Security and dismantle Medicare as we know it.”
The campaign will feature newspaper ads, automated phone calls, live phone calls and e-mails and will begin on Wednesday in the 11th Congressional District.
“Everyone agrees we need to cut spending, but Representative Lou Barletta is making the wrong choice by forcing seniors to shoulder the burden and while not asking Big Oil companies making record profits to sacrifice even the smallest amount,” said DCCC spokeswoman Jennifer Crider said. “The DCCC will go district-by-district to stop Representative Lou Barletta and House Republicans’ plans to cut seniors’ hard earned benefits in the middle of a recession just so Big Oil companies can keep their taxpayer subsidies.”
Here is the text of what the caller to your house might say:
“Hi, this is _______calling on behalf of the DCCC. Did you know that Representative Lou Barletta is part of a majority of the Republicans in Washington pushing to cut seniors benefits in Social Security and Medicare? If we don’t act now, 61,174 seniors here in Pennsylvania could have their benefits cut in the middle of a recession.
Everyone knows that Social Security belongs to the people who worked their whole life to pay into the system. But Representative Lou Barletta wants to use Social Security and Medicare as a piggy bank for the government.
We can’t turn Social Security over to Wall Street banks or make Medicare into a voucher system.
Press 1 now to be connected with Representative Lou Barletta and tell him to cut taxpayer subsidies to Big Oil, not seniors Social Security and Medicare benefits.”
– BORYS KRAWCZENIUK

The City of Scranton Democratic Party Executive Committee endorsed incumbent City Councilman Bob McGoff, but did not endorse Councilman John Loscombe on Sunday.
Instead, the committee went for Joe Wechsler.
The committee only endorsed two incumbents for school director. They are Paul O’Malley for one of five four-year terms, and recently appointed Nathan Barrett for the unexpired two-year term of the late Frank Brazill.
That meant the two other incumbents running, Christopher Phillips and Kathleen M. McGuigan, were not endorsed.
Also endorsed for the four four-year terms were Lyn Ruane, Jason Shrive, Bill Fox and Sean O’Shea.
The committee also endorsed incumbent City Controller Roseann Novembrino over Marilyn Murphy Holden.
– BORYS KRAWCZENIUK

For weeks, one of the hot rumors was Archbald Councilwoman Shirley Barrett’s planned bid for Lackawanna County clerk of judicial records against incumbent Mary Rinaldi.
It turned out to be more than a rumor when Mrs. Barrett, whose family owns a popular borough restaurant/tavern, filed her nomination papers.
Now, she’s out of the running. The Democratic Party executive committee endorsed Mrs. Rinaldi on Sunday so Mrs. Barrett withdrew Tuesday.
“I’m a Democrat, I’m a good Democrat. I’m going to support the party,” she told us today.
– BORYS KRAWCZENIUK

Stay up to date on Northeastern Pennsylvania politics with Times-Tribune politics reporter Borys Krawczeniuk (pronounced CROUCH-enyook, that's why we just call him "Borys"). The Borys Blog brings you the news, substantiated gossip, insight and intrigue of the region's unique brand of politics.